Training Day
Training Day is the first issue of Jump Leads. It was written and lettered by Ben Paddon with art by JjAR. Effectively a "pilot" for the comic, it sets into the motion the events that lead into the status quo of the series. Plot To be added later. Appearances Characters *Richard Llewellyn *Thomas Meaney *Whedon *Lucas *Deadly Deadly Robots Vehicles and vessels *JumpShip **''Flurry'' **''Serenity'' *Hub *Personnel Transport Ship Publication history *Published in a limited 100-issue run as Jump Leads No.1: Training Day in 2008. *Published as part of Jump Leads Volume 1: Tales from the Flurry by SoulGeek Publishing in February 2009. *A self-published eBook edition of the first issue containing additional materials from Tales from the Flurry went up on Wowio on September 3rd, 2010. The print editions contain slightly altered dialogue: * The last line on page 12 - "Right, let's get underway, shall we?" - is changed to "Right, let's head off, shall we?" * Llewellyn's comment concerning propulsion fuel for the Flurry at the end of page 24 is different. The web version is much more flippant in tone to give the page a less flat, humorous last line. The line of dialogue used in the print version is much more matter-of-fact, and is as the line appears in the original script. Due to these changes, neither the web version or print versions of the comic are 100% faithful to the original script. Downloadable script The [[Training Day (script)|original script for Training Day]] was made available as a PDF download on Ben Paddon's website on July 16th, 2009. It can be downloaded here. Audioplay adaptation In mid-2009 writer Ben Paddon announced plans to make an animated version of this story and began accepting auditions for the characters. This never materialized. Later, in 2015, he put out the call again, an annoucned that Jump Leads would be returning as a monthly audioplay podcast. The first episode was an adaptation of Training Day, and was released on September 21st, 2015. Extra Continuity * First appearance of The Hub and of the Flurry (and indeed, of any JumpShips at all). * First and only appearance of a Lead Service vessel other than a JumpShip - in particular, the Personnel Transport Ship seen in the first page. * The Hub is built around a Black Hole which provides it with its power source and is also what makes inter-dimensional travel possible. The Hub is specifically cited as the only place in the Multiverse that is constant - it exists in all possible Universes simultaneously, and has no parallel. * Llewellyn has undergone (and failed) the training year four times, and states that once he fails the sixth time he plans to switch career path to Call Centre employee. * Captain Whedon hints at a possible past as a male lap dancer. * First mention of Satan's Playground, a Universe where apparently every "Worst Possible Outcome" occurs. * The first occurrence of the number 17 is seen on page 9 of this comic. The number 17 reappears sporadically through the comic. * Llewellyn asks if they've travelled in time, which Lucas dismisses. Llewellyn will later lambaste Meaney for saying that they'd travelled back in time to the Medieval era in Rogues and Scallywags. ** Given that Llewellyn has been through the training process four times so far, he probably knows that JumpShips don't travel in time and was just being flippant. Certainly he knows enough about JumpShip operation for Nimoy to use that knowledge to pilot the ship in Trojan Horse. * Each JumpShip has its own unique name and ID number, and give off an energy signature when they Jump. ** Then how come the Lead Service hasn't been able to track the Flurry? * Lucas' statement that Meaney and Llewellyn don't have to like the name of his ship because they don't have to live with it is ironic considering the outcome of this story. * Meaney's hypothesis - that "people and objects from each reality have a particular trace or something about them that shows they're not of this Universe, but of another" - is never strictly confirmed or denied by Lucas. * Leads are stated to have been taken into the Service not because of their high aptitude or special skills but because they are, for some unknown reason, Non-Multiversal Variables - meaning their actions do not have parallel consequences played out in parallel Universes, and they do not have parallel Universe selves. * There is a Lead Training facility on Mimas, one of Saturn's moons. * The Deadly Deadly Robots are mentioned in later issues of the comic. Specifically they are mentioned in a conversation between Llewellyn and "freelance" dimension traveller Hayter in Rogues and Scallywags, where it is revealed that their attack on Lucas may have been more than mere coincidence. * This is the only occasion in which two parallel versions of the same location are shown - the "pink-sky, green-grass" and "blue-sky, red-grass" versions of the same Universe. ** This is also the only occasion where the Flurry arrives in the same destination in two Universes. From the next issue onwards their location within a Universe is entirely random. * The space between Universes - later referred to as the Void - is yellow. * JumpShips also have a Camouflage System to disguise the ship, and Homing Pigeon Hardware which homes in on the location of the Hub. neither system works on the Flurry, naturally. * JumpShips are also capable of standard propulsion - later seen in Trojan Horse - provided they have the fuel. * Meaney mentions Lucas by name after the captain's death, but Lucas' name is never mentioned in the story at any point prior to this. ** It can be assumed that Lucas is "high profile" enough for the pair to recognise him. Cultural References * Meaney is named for Irish actor Colm Meaney, who played Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. * Llewellyn is named for English actor Robert Llewellyn, most famous for his portrayal of Kryten from Series III of Red Dwarf onwards. * Captain Whedon is named after writer/director Joss Whedon, who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly/Serenity, and Dollhouse. * Captain Lucas is named after American writer/director George Lucas, who created the Star Wars franchise in the late 70s, and then destroyed it at the turn of the 21st century. * The Hub's construction around and use of a Black Hole is likely a reference to Doctor Who, as the Time Lords used the energy from causing a star to collapse into a Black Hole to enable time travel. ** The Hub also shares its name with the base of operations for the Cardiff-based Torchwood Three in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. * Llewellyn mentions the British drama series Footballers' Wives, which ran on ITV from 2002 to 2006. * Whedon refers to pop singer Christina Aguilera's musical career. Specifically it seems she's not supposed to have one. ** Fans have speculated that this may be because in the Lead Service's home Universe, Aguilera holds a career of much higher importance and/or merit, and her singing counterparts are either a severe step on the wrong path or simply an embarrassment. * Satan's Playground may be a reference to "the Devil's Playground", which is a bunch of stuff. * Llewellyn's sarcastic description of the Flurry as a "Frankly, magnificent JumpShip" is a reference to Doctor Who. The Ninth Doctor describes his TARDIS as a "frankly magnificent time ship" in the 2005 episode "Aliens of London". * Llewellyn mentions the reality TV series Big Brother. * Whedon's JumpShip is named Serenity, a reference to the ship from Joss Whedon's Firefly series. * Llewellyn compares the name of Lucas' ship to an ice-cream. McDonald's have an ice-cream dessert called the McFlurry. * When they emerge from the Flurry into a parallel Universe, Llewellyn misquotes Dorothy's "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" line from The Wizard of Oz. * Meaney's aforementioned "Universal trace" hypothesis is a reference of sorts to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Parallels". * Additionally, Meaney's hypothetical encounter with a goatee-toutin' Doppelganger is a reference to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror". * The line "I think a brisk walk back in the direction of the Flurry would be an excellent career move at this point" is more or less a direct quote from the Red Dwarf episode "Demons & Angels". * The dinosaur may be a reference to the Sliders episode "In Dino Veritas". ** This means that all three of the TV shows that inspired the creation of Jump Leads - Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Sliders - are referenced in this story. * The non-functioning Camouflage System is likely a reference to Doctor Who. * Meaney mentions the finales for Star Trek: Voyager, Sliders, and Lost in Space. Despite his ranting and rambling, only Voyager ever made it back to their home - the Robinsons remained lost for the duration of Lost in Space, and Sliders ended on a cliffhanger which was never resolved. Trivia * A much, much earlier version of this script began with Meaney, Llewellyn and Lucas running from the Deadly Deadly Robots. * Jump Leads co-creator Ben Paddon previously worked in a call centre for British cable company NTL, now known as Virgin Media. He often refers to call centre work as the lowest possible job one can have. * Much speculation has been made of the point of the "Hover Chairs", which seem to be a largely frivolous use of advanced technology. It's been suggested that the Lead Service either has money to burn, or that in their Universe it's simply more cost-effective to make the chairs hover than it is to give them legs. Certainly it makes storing them a bit easier. * Lucas' ship, the Flurry, is so called because "Flurry" is listed as an antonym to "Serenity" in Microsoft Word 2003's built-in dictionary and thesaurus. External links *[http://web.archive.org/web/20170114192410/http://www.jump-leads.com:80/comic/1 Training Day at Jump-Leads.com] - Archive.org link Category:Comic issues